You are here

Robbery of Arden Hills pharmacy could be related to others in metro area, police say

Police responded to the Cub Foods in Arden Hills after a man wearing camouflage jumped over the store’s pharmacy counter with a Taser in hand and ran off with thousands of dollars worth of prescription medications Feb. 7.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the robbery, which took place in the 3700 block of Lexington Avenue around 5:30 p.m.

Multiple police squad cars responded to the grocery store after the pharmacy’s staff reported the robbery and responders immediately formed a perimeter around the area.

According to the report, the suspect, described as a young man wearing a camouflage jacket and skull cap, walked up to the pharmacy, jumped over the counter and threatened staff with a Taser.

The man stole several containers of prescription medications, worth more than $2,000, from a locked cabinet. According to the police report, the drugs included Ritalin and several other types of medications that also treat ADHD.

Witnesses told police the suspect was last seen fleeing on foot behind a nearby Davanni’s restaurant.

Though deputies were unsuccessful in locating the suspect, a K9 unit was able to track the scent of the fleeing man until the trail came upon a railroad track and parking lot and the dog lost the scent.

Police are notifying pharmacies within the department’s contracted cities that this incident may not be isolated.

According to authorities, this robbery could be related to a larger “cooperative scheme” targeting pharmacies all over the metro area.

Police listed two recent incidents in the northern suburbs that may be connected to this robbery; they include the Feb. 5 robbery of a Walgreens in White Bear Lake and the robbery of a CVS in the 2600 block of Rice Street in Little Canada last September. The suspect in the Little Canada incident, however, carried a knife, not a Taser.